Spatial and temporal distribution of the shrimp nematopalaemon schmitti (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) at a subtropical enclosed bay in South America

The spatio-temporal distribution of the soft bottom dwelling shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti and the effect of environmental conditions (sediment characteristics, temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen) on its abundance were studied at Ubatuba Bay, south-eastern coast of Brazil. Surveys were conducted monthly from September 1995 to August 1996. Each sampling set comprised eight different transects distributed within the bay. Comparisons of CPUE of shrimp among sampling stations demonstrated that the abundance of N. schmitti was the greatest during winter, when average water temperature within the bay was considerably lower than during the rest of the year. Most shrimps (more than 95%) were collected at a single transect located at the northernmost side of the bay, demonstrating the extremely patchy distribution of this species. A multiple regression analysis using data only from this northernmost transect indicated that temperature was the most relevant factor affecting the abundance of N. schmitti during the year. Copyright © 2009 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

Summit of the Americas 1994-2009: selected indicators

Includes bibliography

Exfoliative cytology of the oral mucosa: Comparison of two collection methods

This study compared the sampling efficacy cia cytobrush and metal spatula for exfoliative cytology of the oral mucosa. Thirty students with no detectable oral alterations upon clinical examination were submitted to exfoliative cytology of the lateral border of the tongue, using a metal spatula on the left side and a cytobrush on the right side. The smears were stained using the Papanicoiaou technique and evaluated for cellularity, cell type, cell distribution, homogeneity, and cellular distortion, as well as the presence ol mucus, inflammatory infiltrate, and hemorrhage. A statistical test (Z-test) with a 95% confdence interval (Cl) showed a significant difference between the metal spatula and cytobrush in terms of cellularity (p = 0.02) and homogeneity (p = 0.01). No difference between the two methods was observed regarding cell type (p = 0.4, Z-test) or cell distribution for the 95% confidence interval (p = 0.2, Fisher's test). Cell distortion and the presence of mucus were observed in five cases that used the metal spatula and in two cases that used the cytobrush. No hemorrhage or inflammatory infItrate was detected in any of the slides. Based on the results of this study, the cytobrush produced qualitatively better smears in terms of cellularity and homogeneity compared to the metal spatula.

Additions to the known distribution of Epipompilus aztecus (Cresson, 1869) and E. excelsus (Bradley, 1944) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Knowledge about the species distribution of Epipompilus Kohl, 1884, is largely based on the records from the species description. Recent efforts in South American bodiversity studies indicate that knowledge about the distribution of Epipompilus species in the region is in an early stage. Two new records of E. aztecus were obtained for the semideciduous Atlantic Forest, in central Brazil, and one record for the Amazonian Forest in northern Brazil, indicating that its distribution extends between Central and South America. The new records of E. excelsus were obtained mainly from the Atlantic Forest highlands, indicating that this species is commonly found in the southeastern South American Central Plateau and restricted to forest ecosystem of this region. © 2010 Eduardo Fernando dos Santos and Fernando Barbosa Noll.

Probabilistic analysis of the distributed power generation in weakly meshed distribution systems

This paper presents an approach for probabilistic analysis of unbalanced three-phase weakly meshed distribution systems considering uncertainty in load demand. In order to achieve high computational efficiency this approach uses both an efficient method for probabilistic analysis and a radial power flow. The probabilistic approach used is the well-known Two-Point Estimate Method. Meanwhile, the compensation-based radial power flow is used in order to extract benefits from the topological characteristics of the distribution systems. The generation model proposed allows modeling either PQ or PV bus on the connection point between the network and the distributed generator. In addition allows control of the generator operating conditions, such as the field current and the power delivery at terminals. Results on test with IEEE 37 bus system is given to illustrate the operation and effectiveness of the proposed approach. A Monte Carlo Simulations method is used to validate the results. © 2011 IEEE.

A set of linear equations to calculate the steady-state operation of an electrical distribution system

In this paper, the calculation of the steady-state operation of a radial/meshed electrical distribution system (EDS) through solving a system of linear equations (non-iterative load flow) is presented. The constant power type demand of the EDS is modeled through linear approximations in terms of real and imaginary parts of the voltage taking into account the typical operating conditions of the EDS's. To illustrate the use of the proposed set of linear equations, a linear model for the optimal power flow with distributed generator is presented. Results using some test and real systems show the excellent performance of the proposed methodology when is compared with conventional methods. © 2011 IEEE.

Presence and distribution of the endosymbiont Wolbachia among Solenopsis spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Brazil and its evolutionary history

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect arthropods. Its prevalence among ants of the genus Solenopsis is high. In the present study, the presence and distribution of these endosymbionts was examined among populations of Solenopsis spp. from Brazil. A phylogenetic analysis based on the wsp gene was conducted to infer the evolutionary history of Wolbachia infections within the populations surveyed. A high frequency of Wolbachia bacteria was observed among the genus Solenopsis, 51% of the colonies examined were infected. Incidence was higher in populations from southern Brazil. However, little genetic variability was found among different Wolbachia strains within supergroups A and B. Our findings also suggest that horizontal transmission events can occur through the social parasite S. daguerrei. © 2012 Elsevier Inc..

Indices of body fat distribution for assessment of lipodysthrophy in people living with HIV/AIDS

Background: Metabolic and morphological changes associated with excessive abdominal fat, after the introduction of Antiretroviral Therapy, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWHA). Accurate methods for body composition analysis are expensive and the use of anthropometric indices is an alternative. However the investigations about this subject in PLWHA are rare, making this research very important for clinical purpose and to advance scientific knowledge. The aim of this study is to correlate results of anthropometric indices of evaluation of body fat distribution with the results obtained by Dual-energy X-Ray Absorptiometry(DEXA) , in people living with HIV/AIDS. Methods. The sample was of 67 PLWHA(39 male and 28 female), aged 43.6+7.9 years. Body mass index, conicity index, waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio and waist/thigh were calculated. Separated by sex, each index/ratio was plotted in a scatter chart with linear regression fit and their respective Pearson correlation coefficients. Analyses were performed using Prism statistical program and significance was set at 5%. Results: The waist/height ratio presented the highest correlation coefficient, for both male (r=0.80, p<0.001) and female (r=0.87, p <001), while the lowest were in the waist/thigh also for both: male group (r=0.58, p<0.001) and female group (r=0.03, p=0.86). The other indices also showed significant positive correlation with DEXA. Conclusion: Anthropometric indices, especially waist/height ratio may be a good alternative way to be used for evaluating the distribution of fat in the abdominal region of adults living with HIV/ADIS. © 2012 Segatto et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

La distribución geográfica de la población de América Latina y prioridades regionales del desarrollo = Geographic distribution of the population of Latin America and regional development priorities

Incluye Bibliografía

A mixed-integer LP model for the optimal allocation of voltage regulators and capacitors in radial distribution systems

This paper presents a mixed-integer linear programming model to solve the problem of allocating voltage regulators and fixed or switched capacitors (VRCs) in radial distribution systems. The use of a mixed-integer linear model guarantees convergence to optimality using existing optimization software. In the proposed model, the steady-state operation of the radial distribution system is modeled through linear expressions. The results of one test system and one real distribution system are presented in order to show the accuracy as well as the efficiency of the proposed solution technique. An heuristic to obtain the Pareto front for the multiobjective VRCs allocation problem is also presented. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overcoming the empty box syndrome": eterminants of income distribution in Latin America"

Includes bibliography

Productive structure and the functional distribution of income: an application of the input-output model

Includes bibliography

Cation distribution and magnetic characterization of the multiferroic cobalt manganese Co2MnO4 spinel doped with bismuth

The structural and magnetic properties of the cubic spinel oxide Co 2MnO4 (Fd3m space group) doped with different concentrations of bismuth, were investigated by X-ray diffraction and SQUID magnetometry. The Bi3+ ions entering into the CoIII octahedral sites do not alter the effective moment, μeff ∼8.2 μB, whereas both the magnetization M50 kOe at the highest field (50 kOe) and the field-cooled MFC magnetizations increased when increasing the Bi content. The ferrimagnetic character of the parent compound, Co2MnO4, is maintained for all materials although the antiferromagnetic interactions Co2+-Co2+ are affected, resulting in higher values of the Curie-Weiss temperature. Due to the large ionic radius of Bi, octahedra distortions occur as well as valence fluctuations of the Mn ions, giving rise to Jahn-Teller effects and enhancing the exchange interactions. The off-center Bi3+ ion is responsible of non-centrosymmetric charge ordering and should lead to multiferroïsme conditions for the BixCo2-xMnO4 material. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Social use of the surplus, accumulation, distribution and employment

Includes bibliography

Simultaneity of the anthropometric markers of adiposity and chronic diseases in women

Aim. The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between the accumulation of different anthropometric indicators and the prevalence of some chronic diseases in women over 40 years of age. Methods. The sample was comprised of 562 women between 40 and 95 years of age (64.5 ± 11.4) attended by the research projects were carried out in two cities in southeastern Brazil. Anthropometric measurements were taken: weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and the values of BMI and WHR were later calculated. The referenced morbidity questionnaire was also applied, based on the Standard Health Questionnaire (SHQ), which analyzes the presence of degenerative chronic diseases in the adult population. For the statistical treatment, the chi-square and binary logistic regression tests were performed, with significance set at 5%. Results. The relationship between three changes in the anthropometric indicators and the greater incidence of diseases continued significant for hypertension (OR=3.77 [95% CI: 2.14-6.65], =P=0.001), and for endocrine and metabolic diseases (OR=2.59 [95%: 1:47 to 4:32], =P=0.001), regardless of the effects of age and physical activities. Conclusion. The simultaneity of body fat indicators is more strongly associated with the prevalence of some chronic diseases (hypertension, endocrine, and metabolic), relative to the individualized use of anthropometric indicators.